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Re: British TV Shows...

My favorite right now is Sherlock. Yes, I know I'm late to the party, and yes.. I know all the episodes have already aired, but it's hard to keep track of new tv shows being stuck here in boring old Norway

Anyway.. I recommend everyone to watch this series! It's definitely of gay interest, with some minor gay characters and you can't miss the homoerotic moments between Sherlock and Wilson.. it's also hysterically funny, and the guy playing Sherlock is so good looking! I'm in love. Sherlock is such a great character too. I adore him, he is so rude, so funny, but yet so vulnerable! I hope they make a new season, but I kinda doubt it considering how the last season ended.. sigh Still.. you never know, I'm crossing my fingers for a new season!

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by thatgirl

Isn't it so perfect? Too bad it's only 3 episodes per series. S2 is even better than S1 was.

The Americans are also making a 'modern day' Sherlock show as well called "Elementary." It is set in New York and stars Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock and Lucy Liu as Watson. There goes the homoerotic subtext. :/

But yes, Sherlock is a must-see.

I know! 3 episodes per season is hardly enough! I want mooooore Then again.. at least we get quality over quantity (that would be the American version).

Don't even get me started on that shitfest Elementary.. I'm sorry, but making Watson a woman, and having Lucy Liu play Watson.. it's just unforgivable. Why must the Americans always shit all over everything they get their hands on? It's like THEY HAVE TO ruin great tv shows, like Being Human, Shameless, The Office.. WHY can't they just leave it alone, why can't they just enjoy the british version? Why make an inferior version to something that is already so good? It doesn't make any sense! It's fucking annoying!

Making Watson a woman is the most stupid thing I have ever heard.. like we don't have a million shows like that already? A crime solving female-male duo.. lets see, The Mentalist, Castle, Bones.. need I continue? What will make Elementary stand out? It won't. It will just be another bad clichť. Typical Americans.. ruin something good. Why did they scrap Wilson in the first place? It's funny that the producers behind Elementary say it's because they wanted to keep it more "modern" and show "diversity" with having a man and a woman.. I call BS. I think it's just because they were afraid of the homoeroticism between Wilson and Sherlock.. most Americans would freak out over that, while a woman and man working together, solving crimes, and the constant "will they, or won't they" is easier for mainstream America to swallow than constantly seeing two "male lovers" on screen every week.

I think the producers of Elementary will accomplish the exact opposite of what they are claiming.. they will take away from what makes Sherlock work, and what makes it so good: the chemistry between Sherlock and Watson that you so rarely find on tv.. how often do we see strong friendships between two men on tv? and especially between two men who love and care for each other like Sherlock and Watson do? not often enough for sure.. I really don't see how Elementary will compare to the brilliant british version, and part of what makes Sherlock so good is already ruined when they made Watson a woman, and I don't buy their pathetic excuse either. Did you know that Elementary even asked to buy the scripts from the British "Sherlock", and that they refused to sell it to them? hahahaha.. fucking brilliant! It serves them right. The less Sherlock is associated with that shit American version, the better it is.

Originally Posted by goldenmoth

Weeeell, you know, the Americans aren't really making Sherlock. They're making their same old thing and just using Sherlock Holmes as a brand to sell it.

And thank god for that! Like I said.. I don't want Sherlock associated with that crap American version anyway.

BTW.. here's my favorite scene from Sherlock.. it is so cute and lovely, kinda gay too.. and it made me ship them hard:

Re: British TV Shows...

--I liked the first two series of Skins
--I am going through a Doctor Who withdrawal
--Same thing with Torchwood but I have the DVDs
--I liked the first series of Robin Hood then I realized Robin was a whiny idiot.
--I love Merlin and Shameless
--Downtown Abbey is ok...too slow for my pace
--I have to get into Sherlock..I know Ill love it
--Coupling is funny...not as funny as Friends which is weird for me to pick an American show over a Brit one
--My Family is hilarious

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by thatgirl

Usually I can deal with 6-8 episodes a season but 3... The wait is killing me.

I agree, but then again.. they are making movies, like they said, and it takes a lot of resources.. a lot of effort too, plus the actors are VERY busy, so it would be hard to make a season longer. I would have preferred a season being 5-6 episodes, because I think 3 episodes are too short, like.. they have to rap everything up really fast, like the beginning of season 1.. then you had the middle episode in season 2 not related to Moriarty, but then the next episode it's all about Moriarty again. Sometimes I do feel that it's not coherent enough, or that what is supposed to bind the season together take up too much space compared to the other story lines.. I am used to the overall theme taking up a little bit in each episode, but at the same time focusing on other story lines.. here it's not like that, and I feel like 3 episodes.. it's just too short for it to be totally coherent.. they solved that with Moriarty being in 2 seasons, and I liked that, because I think him being in one season would be too short.. anyway, just my opinion around it all. I would have preferred at least 6 episodes, but whatever :P

Apparently, the British crew is kind of upset about the whole thing from what little I've read on the matter.

LMAO. I really am trying to keep an open mind (I do like Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu) but it's just ughh. Usually, I tend to stay away from American remakes. They always disappoint me. And they seem so unnecessary.

Yep. I heard they threatened to sue if it was "too similar" to Sherlock, so that might be the reason behind all the changes, still.. it doesn't make it any better. It's still disgraceful. They should just leave it alone. We already have a good tv series, and movies.. no need to make another inferior tv series imo.. we all know it's gonna suck. A female Watson? please.. I wish the Americans would just drop it.

The fandom around Sherlock is INSANE. Though Cumberbatch & Freeman seem to be confused by it. They don't get why people see a homoerotic subtext. lol

BUT. Omg, that fandom... they put out some of the hottest slash fic/slash art I've ever seen. It's totally understandable though because Sherlock and Watson's bond/relationship is so epic.

The fandom is insane, yes.. but it's totally understandable though.. I understand them more than the actors saying there's no homosexual subtext, when it CLEARLY is! That gif you posted was epic, and my favorite quote:

Wilson: "Oh please.. can we not do this this time?" Sherlock: "Do what?" Wilson: "You.. being all mysterious with your cheekbones and turning your coat collar up so you look cool." Sherlock: "I don't do that." Wilson: "Yes, you do."

How is that NOT homoerotic? come on now.. it's so obvious! I can't believe the actors are not picking up on it? Wow..

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by london12

--I liked the first two series of Skins
--I am going through a Doctor Who withdrawal
--Same thing with Torchwood but I have the DVDs
--I liked the first series of Robin Hood then I realized Robin was a whiny idiot.
--I love Merlin and Shameless
--Downtown Abbey is ok...too slow for my pace
--I have to get into Sherlock..I know Ill love it
--Coupling is funny...not as funny as Friends which is weird for me to pick an American show over a Brit one
--My Family is hilarious

I think that's it. I'm from the states so...I have to find what I can

Trust me when I say this.. you will love Sherlock.. I am kinda embarrassed to admit this, but I'm addicted to it. It's just sooo good! I love all of the story lines (well.. maybe except for Irene Adler.. didn't like her very much), the homoerotic subtext between Sherlock and Watson is so cool, and they even have some minor gay characters, and a lesbian too.. the openly gay actor Russel Tovey also had a guest role on the show, plus I love the gay jokes. They're not offensive at all, trust me, just light hearted fun. It's realistic though.. two guys living together, spending that much time together, and who also care for each other.. who wouldn't jump to the conclusion that they're gay? It's realistic imo, and I love the fact that the writers probably did it to say "we appreciate our gay fans", if I'm not mistaken one of the producers or writers of the show is gay, and you can clearly tell by the way he managed to include gay characters, even if they are minor. They probably know that the fandom is huge and that they have a lot of gay fans, as well as straight There's like 4-5 "gay" scenes each episode. I fucking love it!

Oh yeah, and I can't forget the most awesome part.. the guy playing Sherlock is very good looking, but he's not only that, he's also an AMAZING actor, seriously.. I'm not just saying this. He is fucking brilliant, and he is perfect to play Sherlock. I have only seen him in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (he played gay in this movie btw.. tiny role, so if you don't like boring movies I don't know if it's really worth seeing) and Sherlock, but he nailed both of those roles. I will definitely see War Horse when that comes out on dvd, and he's in the upcoming Star Trek sequel too. He's very busy these days, he's in high demand.. and I can't say I blame the producers, he really is a wonderful actor, so I can see why he's so popular. Actors like him don't come around very often. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see him winning an Oscar in the future, yes, he really is that good. He has a special look too, it takes some getting used to, he's not conventionally sexy or hot.. but I find him VERY attractive.. I don't know what it is, there's just something about him that's so sexy.. his good looks and confidence maybe, because as I said.. he's not really conventionally handsome, he has a special look.. I think people either find him ugly or hot.. lol.

I agree with all of these! I would also add the first two seasons of Being Human. Do not watch the last season unless you like sappy, contrived and clichťd love stories. But the first two seasons were very good imo, and it's with Russel Tovey, who you just gotta love

Originally Posted by thatgirl

I get what you mean. I think part of the reason it can feel a bit disjointed is that the creators view the episodes are more or less self-contained. Like, they're 3 Sherlock films but with a few plot threads connecting them.

As for it feeling rushed, yeah. Especially with Moriarty. I became so obsessed with him. I needed more. So much crazy-sassy goodness. lol

I look forward to some amazing new villains. But he was the perfect match for Sherlock. I shipped it hard.

I'm sorry about my post.. I posted it in a hurry this morning and I had a hard time explaining why I don't like the seasons being so short, but it seemed like you got the picture, because how you explained it.. that's exactly how I feel! Disjointed and rushed are two words perfect to describe it. That's exactly it! I know it's supposed to be stand alone "films", with a few plots binding them together, but sometimes I just feel like it's not working. Don't get me wrong, I still looooove Sherlock, but yeah.. sometimes I do feel that the show would maybe be better if they extended it, so it could feel more "together" and "complete" if you get what I'm saying

And yes.. I don't get how the actors don't see the homorerotic subtext when basically everyone else sees it! lol. With the quote I posted.. where John actually comments on Sherlock's cheekbones.. that was an actual quote from the show.. I mean.. how can they not see that as being homoerotic? it's almost like they're in denial, just like you said.. it makes me wonder if they even read the scripts they get, because it's pretty damn obvious that it's gay gay gay And in that scene I mentioned.. it even seemed like Watson had a little crush on him! It was adorable. Again.. I'm embarrassed, but I love these characters, and the show, soooo much!

And damn.. don't even get me started on Moriarty.. he was fucking perfect! I think part of why it worked so well too was because he shared so much chemistry with Sherlock! Like damn.. you could just feel the chemistry through the screen. In one scene when they stood close to each other I was thinking "just kiss each other already!" lol. This show is seriously the gayest show I've seen in a long time, and I don't even know if it's intentional! Because they have no major gay characters or anything like that, but it's still so gay, because there's so much homoerotic subtext present. Damn.. I love this show! Too bad we have to wait a whole year for new episodes.. someone even said it wouldn't air until summer 2013, so it's more like 1 1/2.. ugh

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by thatgirl

0_0 Whaaaat. I neeeed to see this. Like ASAP. Thanks for recommending it! I'm always looking out for the newer shows.

No problem

I can't really think of many other good recent shows that haven't already been mentioned, but there are two which I particularly enjoyed. I know you've mentioned Downton Abbey but I don't know if you're into period dramas generally but one I want to mention is The Crimson Petal and the White. You'll probably recognise Chris O'Dowd from The IT Crowd as well as Mark Gatiss in the trailer.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLAJMDeRYuk[/ame]

The other show I want to recommend is The Promise. Again, I don't know if it's your kind of thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oR4jtQGIYc[/ame]

A not so recent recommendation is Criminal Justice. There have been two series of this, each consisting of five episodes dedicated to one storyline.

Series 1

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnvY1mx0R3c[/ame]

Series 2

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4NxC9yV7yA[/ame]

How long have you been watching shows from over here? What about not so recent ones?

Re: British TV Shows...

^ Yes, it's still being made. In fact the last episode of the 6th series was broadcast last month. Personally I stopped watching it after the 1st series as I thought it was rather dull. Certainly not a patch on the American original.

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by timboy

The new Upstairs Downstairs is worth a look

I have to admit to finding that one a little disappointing. I think maybe it's because I felt they tried to do too much in too little time and I never developed any real sympathy for the characters but it WAS beautiful to look at.

LOVE Downton Abbey
LOVED Skins

and I'm in for Dawn French in ANYTHING.

Just to stand up a little for we Americans I am also enjoying the US versions of Shameless and The Office. The US Skins and the US Prime Suspect, however, should be locked at the bottom of the sea.

I have ZERO interest in Elementary.

Here's one of my favorite episodes of oldie but a goodie:
(and I love the Whigfield reference in the beginning!)

Re: British TV Shows...

I feel in love with Are You Being Served? I had to go out and buy the whole series and have almost completely finished. The whole cast is hilarious but the older lady is one of my favs. She does some very physical comedy for her age and size and I also like Mr Humphries. He was doing drag long before drag became popular, lol. The only thing that I found odd was that a hit show had main characters who's teeth were as jacked as some of theirs were.

He got that thickness, the kind that make you get up makin' biscuits with breakfast, so gone - Jill Scott - So Gone

Re: British TV Shows...

Being Human is awesome. I usually have little taste in supernatural themes, but I fell in love instantly with the show from the very first episode. The U.S. remake is just dull compared to the British.

The IT Crowd is a rad. Can't believe the series ended after only 4 seasons (and a special episode). Damn, we need more intelligent and brainless humour in a scene.

And nobody mentioned Absolutely Fabulous?

come now, my child. if we were planning to harm you, do you think
we'd be lurking here beside the path in the darkest part of the forest?

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by justdra

I feel in love with Are You Being Served? I had to go out and buy the whole series and have almost completely finished. The whole cast is hilarious but the older lady is one of my favs. She does some very physical comedy for her age and size and I also like Mr Humphries. He was doing drag long before drag became popular, lol. The only thing that I found odd was that a hit show had main characters who's teeth were as jacked as some of theirs were.

love this show too, there was a sequel when they all retired to a farm together it was pretty funny too. as for the teeth, i guess that's what you got in Britain in the '70's.
just think, if they were good enough FOR tv, think of the ones that weren't!

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by timboy

The new Upstairs Downstairs is worth a look

I don't know why I didn't suggest that earlier, but maybe it's because people seem to prefer Downton Abbey instead. I, however, prefer Upstairs Downstairs. Admittedly I haven't wached Downton, apart from the first episode.

Originally Posted by roadtripboy

So...I have weird taste in TV shows. With that in mind here's my two favorites.

Being Human
and re-runs of Ballykissangel and Waiting for God

I remember enjoying Ballykissangel when it was first shown, particularly the earlier episodes, not so much the latter ones though. Mention of that brings to mind a couple of other shows which were of the same genre, Hamish MacBeth (starring Robert Carlyle) and Monarch of the Glen.

Originally Posted by freefall

And nobody mentioned Absolutely Fabulous?

Sweetie, Darling, I didn't mention that as I thought everyone already knew about it!

Originally Posted by thatgirl

Thank you for the recs. I am especially intrigued by Criminal Justice and will def check it out. It looks super good.

You're welcome I enjoyed the first series more than the second, but I would still highly recommend it.

Originally Posted by thatgirl

...Anyway, I watch a wide range of things, old or new, from a variety of genres but tbh not a lot of UK period dramas. Still, I try to keep an open mind about them. For example, I'm glad I gave Downton Abbey a chance even though it didn't initially catch my interest.

You gave Downton more of a chance than I did!

Have you seen the BBC's 2005 production of Bleak House? I absolutely loved that.

I can think of some other not so recent shows, but you've probably already seen them or know about them, such as Cracker and Prime Suspect. I can't believe the Americans dared to remake these brilliant shows! Blasphemy! Another older series that I loved was Rome. Again, you probably know this one.

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by redfox70

I can think of some other not so recent shows, but you've probably already seen them or know about them, such as Cracker and Prime Suspect. I can't believe the Americans dared to remake these brilliant shows! Blasphemy! Another older series that I loved was Rome. Again, you probably know this one.

I can recommend more, if you're interested?

Since we're going back into the archives, how about one of the grandaddys? Still one of the very best shows in television history (IMO):

Re: British TV Shows...

Aw. Give Downton Abbey another shot. I only started to like it after 3 episodes in to S1. Then it started to pick up.

Maybe some day, when I’ve got through all the other shows I need to catch up on!

Originally Posted by thatgirl

Um, lol, Bleak House looks so corny in the trailer but then I saw that it is critically acclaimed and has a high rating on imdb. Now I'm intrigued.

In my opinion no trailer could do justice to this wonderful drama, it thoroughly deserved all the plaudits. I would urge you to give it a try if you can. If you do manage to watch it and enjoy it, you might want to check out a few more BBC adaptations of Charles Dickens' work.

Originally Posted by thatgirl

Don't kill me y'all but I have never watched Cracker or Prime Suspect. I really should. I remember they'd marathon them on tv sometimes but I was too young to even care about them at the time. I will totally get on those.

You’ve never watched these brilliant shows! More blasphemy! If you were too young to be interested in them that’s understandable, but again I can’t recommend them highly enough, particularly Prime Suspect.

I'm struggling to think of comedy shows, but I don't think anyone has mentioned The Fast Show, Extras, or The Vicar of Dibley, have they?

The only supernatural show I can think of is Afterlife. Sadly, only two series (consisting of 14 episodes in total) of this were made

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xmGVfaG27s[/ame]

Another crime thriller that's a good watch is Messiah. It's pretty gory, but for the most part the storylines were very good. I can't find a decent trailer for this so I'll let Wikipedia tell you a little bit about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_%28TV_series%29

Speaking of crime shows, another is Scott and Bailey (pretty dull title, eh? lol) but don't let that put you off. This is a recent one, in fact the second series is currently being broadcast. Here's a taster from the first series:

Re: British TV Shows...

I forgot about Black Books! I loved that!

There are actually quite a number of comedy shows that Iíve never seen for one reason or another or tried watching and couldnít get into. Green Wing falls into the second category and it was basically the filming style which put me off, but give it a go, you'll probably like it.

I thought Afterlife might appeal to you when you saw that Andrew Lincoln was in it!

I havenít seen Misfits, but Iím into the others, including Torchwood, even though itís not as good as it used to be. Apart from the shows already mentioned I can think of only one other supernatural type. Have you heard of Hex? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_%28TV_series%29

Yeah, I can understand how Hustle might cause you to lost interest as it can be rather irritating at times, but that was another show that was probably better in its earlier days. Even so, when it finished for good a few weeks ago I was sad to see it end and will miss it.

I loved Spooks from start to finish. There were 10 series in total. The cute blond guy youíve got your eye on is Rupert Penry-Jones and doesnít appear till season 4, I believe. I would recommend that you watch it from the very beginning, itís worth it.

Iím really, really pleased you enjoyed Inside Men. Yeah, the ending was a bit weird, wasnít it? I suppose the writers wanted the viewers to draw their own conclusions.

Re: British TV Shows...

I have recently just seen this show actually by accident. I only have the last episode left. I'm really impressed at how good it is. I haven't really seen that many British shows besides the comedy ones. Have to change that, because I really love everything British.

Re: British TV Shows...

The last episode was great and I generally really liked "The Promise". Made me want to see more of Peter Kosminsky's work. And of Christian Cooke's of course ;-)

I accidentally found out that "Misfits" was premiered here yesterday and I was really excited since I've heard you guys mention it. I'm already hooked and I've only seen the pilot so far. Can't wait for the next episode.
I've developed quite a crush on the "weird" guy Simon - those eyes, wow! On the other hand I just can't stand Nathan - he gets on my every nerve!

Oh, and I've recorded the movie "Magicians" on my DVR and I was wondering if any of you guys have seen "Peep Show" and could recommend it?

Re: British TV Shows...

Thatgirl, that's great! So glad you enjoyed them, even the ones I'm not a fan of! I agree about Spooks being addictive. Even though some people over here thought that it flagged in later years I absolutely loved it

Re: British TV Shows...

Thatgirl, welcome back, it's really good to see you. You've been missed

I didn't enjoy Line of Duty as much as I did The Shadow Line, but I think that the Beeb set the bar so high with that wonderful show that all programmes since then have a tough act to follow. That's just my personal opinion though.

We're coming into a new season of dramas here, so there should hopefully be a few more good recommendations before too long. One that has just started last week is called Accused. This is actually the second series (I can't recall if this show has been mentioned previously?) Each episode is a stand-alone story and begins with someone on trial. Thereafter we see their story and the outcome of the trial. The first episode has Sean Bean in it and you can see glimpses of him in this trailer

Re: British TV Shows...

Originally Posted by thatgirl

Hey, redfox! You're sweet.

Just telling it like it is

Originally Posted by thatgirl

I totally agree. I felt like TSL was much more complex and nuanced. Line of Duty was still very interesting to watch though mainly because I enjoyed the actors. I think Line of Duty was made to appeal more to a wider audience so it wasn't as heavy/dark/complex.

Very well articulated, as usual

Originally Posted by thatgirl

I've been meaning to check out Accused S2. It's Sean Bean in drag and Robert Sheehan. Yay. If I like it, I'll go back to watch S1. The lead actors are all top-notch in this series, it seems.

It's also created and mostly written by one of Britain's best - and one of my favourite - screen writers, the wonderful Jimmy McGovern. His work is often very powerful and rarely disappoints.

I'll be watching Good Cop with great interest when that is shown as it was filmed and set in Liverpool. I hope the storyline is good enough to stop me from place-spotting!

Re: British TV Shows...

I'm from England and have hardly seen/heard of these newer shows. I think it's because I can't be bothered to sift through the crap to find the good stuff!

I will give another vote for the first clip posted in the original post - Black Mirror. I didn't see the first episode but the last two were very good, especially 15 million merits. But then, anything with Charlie Brooker involved is bound to be genius.

Re: British TV Shows...

I watch Misfits, used to watch Shamless, Downton Abbey and Big Brother UK sometimes. I'm watching Celebrity Big Brother UK right now. The British version is much more fun to watch than the US verson because on the US version, all they talk about is strategy and playing the game.

Re: British TV Shows...

Wow, so many shows I've never seen or even heard of! I love British television but I only get to watch what's on BBC America and unfortunately that includes mostly rehashed episodes of Top Gear, Gordon Ramsay's shows and American shows like Star Trek. I did see a show called Copper last night that was really good, it was about a New York detective in the 1860's.

What I am looking for though is information on a show that used to be on a year or so ago about a group of 7 people who were the survivors of some type of end of world scenario. There was a guy who was a murderer, a lady who was looking for her son (who had survived and was in a group of kids who attacked the survivors), a young woman in love with the murderer, and a black man who was like the moral center of the group. Anybody remember the name of this series and is it still on?